Method of producing heat



W. S. BOWEN.

METHOD 0F PRODUCING HEAT. APPLICATION min Auml. 1920.

1,415,781. Patented May 9, 1922.

l i .1. l

2 i "IY Q l 6% /\^3. @w i, w @i /d a f7 e Q7/@ i f l// a f/ 27% ii 1 /a /d I QL 6 7 1. www@ l trom,

WILLIAM SPENCER BOWEN, or New YORK, N. Y.

METHOD 0F PRODUCING HEAT.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented May 9, 1922.

Application filed August 17, 1920. Serial No. 404,249.

i To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, /VILLIAM SPENCER` BOWEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Producing Heat, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to the production of heat by the continuous burning of gaseous mixtures and subsequently cooling the products of combustion to a temperature for efficient utilization in doing useful workl According to my invention the incoming fuel and air mixture is preheated in the heater by the hot gases of combustion previous to ignition. The explosive mixture flows into the. heater with a. velocity greater than the rate of flame propagation therein, and the rate of flow is reduced within the `heater by impact and increased sectional area of Stream flow until therate of flow equals the rate of propagation of the flame through the mixture. Furthermore, the anq used for cooling purposes is introduced into thegaseous products of combustion independently of the burning of the saine in order to control the temperature of the final gases. The air used for this purpose is previously heated by passing through a jacket or lining forming the casing of the heater thus providing a heat insulating jacket, and the air moving through this jacket returns heat to the heater which would otherwise be lost.

According to my invention higl'i temperatures are desired and teinpe'i,":itlu'es in excess of the melting point of iron may be einployed. These temperatures are used because the method of heat transfer primarily that of radiation and radiant energy varies as the fourth power of the absolute temperature. Therefore, from the standpoint of efficiency it is important to maintain high temperatures and control the same by the subsequent introduction of air at a lower temperature.

The accompanying drawing illustrates: a device which embodies the principal features of my invention. In the drawngs Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a heater constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of F101 1.

fig. 3 1s a section on the line 3-3 oit F 1g. 1

The numeral 8 designates the casing or jacket of the heater which is formed internally with the spirally arranged passage 111 starting with the air inlet 2 and ending at the opposite end of the heater in the air oriiices l0.

An outlet pipe l communica-tes with the interior of the jacket 3, one end of said pipe being shown in the drawing. The other end of t-he jacket is formed with an openiifig for receiving a threaded bushing 12, which is also provided. with a central opening for receiving the threaded end of the mixture pipe 7. The latter pipe 7 is connected with an air pipe 7 and fuel pipe 9 through which fuel is admitted to forni with the air a suitable combustible mixture in the pipe 7 for burning within the heater.

The pipe 7 is preferably made of some infusible material such as porcelain, quartz, or an!infusible earth. The inner end of Ythe pipe l terminates in an infusible tube 17 which extends through the greater portion of the length of the jacket. rlhe inner tube 17 has lugs 6 projecting therefrom to support the tube against the walls of an outer tube 27 and afford a sliding tit to allow for differential expansion. The porcelain tubes 17 and 27 are shown as integral at the base portion ll, the outer tube being provided with a. series of holes 2G so that the fuel mirture traverses the inner tube and returns through the space between the tubes, whereby the mixture may have access tothe spari@ plug 8 adapted to initiate the burning of the fuel mixture.

The base of the porcelain tubes is held in the acket by the bushing 12 and the top is supported by the porcelain cap 1.53. The cap 13 has a solid body overlying the open end of the tubes 17 and 27 from which extend lugs 15 which embrace the circumference of the outer tube but are in spaced relation so as to permit the passage of all gases and atl the same time furnish bearing surfaces on the tube 27 and the interior of the outer jacket.

The fuel mixture preferably passes through the pipe 7 and tube 17 with a velocity greater than the rate of flame propagation through the mixture, but the mixture impacts against the solid portion of the cap 13 and the direction of the flow is reversed and takes place in the annular space between the inner and outer tubes which space is of greater sectional area than the tube 17. The velocity of the gases in reversing direction and in encountering the larger sectional area is rapidly reduced until it equals the rate of flame propagation through the mixture. The combustion is initiated by the first mixture which lpasses through the inner tube 17, through the passage between the tubes 17 and 27 and through the apertures 26 to the spark plug 8 where the mixture is ignited. The rate of propagation of the flame, however, will be at this point greater than the flow velocity and the Haine will swoop backward or upward as shown in Fig. 1, until the vicinity of the cap 13 is reached where the fiow velocity of the mixture equals the rate of flame propagation and burning will take place continuously in proximity to said cap. The tubes 17 and 27 become incandescent from the heat of the burning mixture and radiate heat to the walls 3 of the jacket. Outside of the jacket an asbestos envelope et is provided to prevent loss of heat due to the radiation ot conducted heat.

Gas or fuel oil is admitted at 9 and air 'at 7 but in case a carbureter mixture under pressure is used, one of thepipes 7 9 maybe omitted, as is well understood.

The air passing through the spiral passages of the jacket 3 is preheated to ahigh temperature andenters the space between the outer tube and the inner wall of the jacket, through the orifices 10 and mixes with the products of combustion issuing out of the apertures 26 and tends to reduce the temperature of the same so that the resulting gases may be conducted through the outlet pipe l and effectively used in doing useful work.

It is also contemplated by my invention that water instead of air may be conducted through the inlet pipe 2 and the spiral passages lt and admitted to the space between the outer tube and the inner cylindrical walls of the jacket through the orifices 10 in the form of steam which may be superheated by the products of combustion and mixed therewith for utilization in an en` gine or the like.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method ot producing heat, which consists in causing an explosive lgaseous mixture to flow with an initial velocity Igreater than the rate of propagation of inflammation through the mixture, reversing the path of flow of the mixture into a stream ol greater sectional area whereby the flow velocity of the mixture is rapidly reduced and burning takes place where the flow velocity equals the rate of propagation of .infiammation through the mixture.

2. VThe method of producing heat which consists in causing an explosive lgiseous mixture to flow with an initial velocity greater than the rate of propagation o'l inflammation through mixture, reducing` the veloeit \v of flow by impact and increased sectional area whereby burning ot the mixture takes place where the fiow velocity equals the rate of propagation of infiammation through the mixture and supplying air to the products of combustion.

3. The method of producing heat` which consists in causing an explosive gaseous mixture to flow with an initial velocity greater than the rate of propagation ot inlammation through the mixture, reducing the velocity of fiow by impact and increased seetional area whereby the burning of the mixture takes place with intense heat where the flow velocity equals the rate of flame propagation through the mixture and supplying air to the products of combustion to control the temperature thereof.

t. The method of producing heat, which consists in causing an explosive gaseous mixture to flow with an initial velocity greater than the rate of flame propagation in the mixture, reversing the path ot fion' of the mixture so as to form a co-axial stream of greater sectional area whereby the flow velocity of thel mixture is rapidly reduced and burning takes place where the tlow velocit \v equals the rate of iiame propagation through the mixture and introdiu'fiug a lHuid preheated by the burning gases into the prodnets of combustion.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit.- nesses.

WILLIAM SPENCER BOWEN.

lVitnesses MILDRED D. COLE, JOHN E. VATKINS. 

